Primary Site: PBS Kids URL: http://pbskids.org/games/reading.html Game: Pack a Picnic Level: Primary (K-3) Summary of the Website: This website focused just on reading skills, however if you wanted to develop other skills you could easily search through the PBS website for more games. The background is bright blue with orange boarders and is inviting to children. The games use all the characters from their favorite shows such as Elmo, Caillou, and the Berenstain Bears. Summary of the Game: This game is very fun to play and helps students learn to read words. In this game, you are helping the various Berenstain Bears pack their bags to go on a picnic. A bubble will pop up above their head with the word of the item they are looking for and a picture of it. The child must click around the room, moving items and opening cabinets, in order to find the item. They go through 4 levels before the bears are ready for a picnic. Evaluation of the Game:This game is a lot of fun and very educational for beginning readers. Because a picture is shown with the word, students who have trouble reading will still be able to play and can learn to make the connection between the word and the picture, helping them learn to read. Having to search through rooms will help keep the child engaged in the game and want to keep playing. The bright colors and familiar faces of characters are also engaging for children. Color: The colors are very fun and typical of Berenstain Bear's books. The colors also help the students to identify the items they are looking for. Repetition: Each room the child is searching for items in repeats in the game. When you find an item correctly the words "Yeah!! You found the _!" appears. If you click something incorrectly, the words "Sorry, you're looking for " appears. Talking Text: The text does not speak. Instead, there is a picture to help students who cannot read. Visual Cues: Once the child completes a room, a screen comes up that says "Level Complete. Good work!! Now, let's go help _" and an arrow at the bottom appears for the child to click to continue. Mistakes: When the child makes a mistake, a buzz sound can be heard and the child must continue searching until they find the appropriate item. Rating: N/A Highlighted Cues: See "visual cues" Navigation Routine: The student must use the mouse to click around the room and open cabinets and drawers and move items around in order to find what they need to pack. They must also click next when they complete a level. Click back and back: N/A Click and Drag: N/A Click forward: N/A TeacherRating: 7
Summary of the Website: This website is broken down by grade level. Once you click on a grade, all the games are appropriate for a typically developing child in that grade. All the games focus on language skills as well. The website uses bright colors to attract children and hold their attention longer.
Summary of the Game: Sight word bingo focuses on enhancing a child's ability to recognize sight words quickly. First you pick your grade level. Then, you get a bingo card with 16 sight words on it. A word is spoken and the child must click the word. If they click the wrong one, the word is then spelled out for them on the bottom. If they click it incorrectly again, the word is passed over and a new word is spoken. The game continues until the child gets BINGO!
Evaluation of the Game:This game is fantastic for children who need practice with sight words. It encourages listening skills and phonological awareness, but if a child struggles the first time, he/she is given the opportunity to see the word and how it is spelled.
Color: This game consists of mostly bright greens but attracts a child's eyes nonetheless. When a word is clicked on the bingo board, it turns into a brightly colored, cute bug.
Repetition: The child has two opportunities to find a sight word. No words are repeated, however the way the words are given is repeated (first through speaking, then through text)
Talking Text: The word is initially spoken, then written.
Visual Cues: There are no visual cues. The student must listen and click on the correct answer, or get it wrong and get a new word.
Mistakes:When the child makes a mistake, a buzz sound is heard and an X appears on the screen with the correct word next to it. The number of incorrect words is also counted on the bottom of the game.
Rating: N/A
Highlighted Cues: No highlighted cues.
Navigation Routine: The child must use the mouse to click on the correct words in order to get bingo.
Summary of the Website: Nick Jr. is a fantastic website for kids. It features games from all their favorite television shows so they are playing and learning with familiar characters. The website is fun and interactive and brightly colored.
Summary of the Game: In this game, Dora the Explorer is reading a book. On the left page is a picture and on the right is a word. She reads the word and then spells it. Then, Swiper comes and swipes all the letters from the page! The child must find the letters from the top of the page and spell the word correctly (the letters do not need to be in order, however). When the student spells it correctly, the page turns and they come across a new word and the same thing happens again.
Evaluation of the Game: This game is fun and educational. The child will learn how to spell words and recognize letters. It is also encouraging because the child never gets penalized for clicking the wrong letter, they simply try again until it is spelled correctly.
Color: The colors are very fun and typical of Dora's show. Everything looks familiar when compared to the television show and it is inviting to children to come play and get excited.
Repetition: The whole game is repetitive because the child is spelling words in the same fashion.
Talking Text: Dora does read the words to the child and reads the letters when she spells it out loud.
Visual Cues: The game does not have visual cues but does not need it because when the child completes a word the page is automatically turned.
Mistakes: When the child makes a mistake, Dora simply tells them to try again.
Rating: N/A
Highlighted Cues: See "visual cues"
Navigation Routine: The student must use the mouse to click the appropriate letters in order to spell the word.
Primary Site: PBS Kids
URL: http://pbskids.org/games/reading.html
Game: Pack a Picnic
Level: Primary (K-3)
Summary of the Website: This website focused just on reading skills, however if you wanted to develop other skills you could easily search through the PBS website for more games. The background is bright blue with orange boarders and is inviting to children. The games use all the characters from their favorite shows such as Elmo, Caillou, and the Berenstain Bears.
Summary of the Game: This game is very fun to play and helps students learn to read words. In this game, you are helping the various Berenstain Bears pack their bags to go on a picnic. A bubble will pop up above their head with the word of the item they are looking for and a picture of it. The child must click around the room, moving items and opening cabinets, in order to find the item. They go through 4 levels before the bears are ready for a picnic.
Evaluation of the Game:This game is a lot of fun and very educational for beginning readers. Because a picture is shown with the word, students who have trouble reading will still be able to play and can learn to make the connection between the word and the picture, helping them learn to read. Having to search through rooms will help keep the child engaged in the game and want to keep playing. The bright colors and familiar faces of characters are also engaging for children.
Color: The colors are very fun and typical of Berenstain Bear's books. The colors also help the students to identify the items they are looking for.
Repetition: Each room the child is searching for items in repeats in the game. When you find an item correctly the words "Yeah!! You found the _!" appears. If you click something incorrectly, the words "Sorry, you're looking for " appears.
Talking Text: The text does not speak. Instead, there is a picture to help students who cannot read.
Visual Cues: Once the child completes a room, a screen comes up that says "Level Complete. Good work!! Now, let's go help _" and an arrow at the bottom appears for the child to click to continue.
Mistakes: When the child makes a mistake, a buzz sound can be heard and the child must continue searching until they find the appropriate item.
Rating: N/A
Highlighted Cues: See "visual cues"
Navigation Routine: The student must use the mouse to click around the room and open cabinets and drawers and move items around in order to find what they need to pack. They must also click next when they complete a level.
Click back and back: N/A
Click and Drag: N/A
Click forward: N/A
Teacher Rating: 7
Primary Site: ABCya!
URL: http://www.abcya.com/first_grade_computers.htm
Game: Sight Word Bingo
Level: Primary (K-3)
Summary of the Website: This website is broken down by grade level. Once you click on a grade, all the games are appropriate for a typically developing child in that grade. All the games focus on language skills as well. The website uses bright colors to attract children and hold their attention longer.
Summary of the Game: Sight word bingo focuses on enhancing a child's ability to recognize sight words quickly. First you pick your grade level. Then, you get a bingo card with 16 sight words on it. A word is spoken and the child must click the word. If they click the wrong one, the word is then spelled out for them on the bottom. If they click it incorrectly again, the word is passed over and a new word is spoken. The game continues until the child gets BINGO!
Evaluation of the Game:This game is fantastic for children who need practice with sight words. It encourages listening skills and phonological awareness, but if a child struggles the first time, he/she is given the opportunity to see the word and how it is spelled.
Color: This game consists of mostly bright greens but attracts a child's eyes nonetheless. When a word is clicked on the bingo board, it turns into a brightly colored, cute bug.
Repetition: The child has two opportunities to find a sight word. No words are repeated, however the way the words are given is repeated (first through speaking, then through text)
Talking Text: The word is initially spoken, then written.
Visual Cues: There are no visual cues. The student must listen and click on the correct answer, or get it wrong and get a new word.
Mistakes:When the child makes a mistake, a buzz sound is heard and an X appears on the screen with the correct word next to it. The number of incorrect words is also counted on the bottom of the game.
Rating: N/A
Highlighted Cues: No highlighted cues.
Navigation Routine: The child must use the mouse to click on the correct words in order to get bingo.
Click back and back: N/A
Click and Drag: N/A
Click forward: N/A
Teacher Rating: 6
Primary Site: Nick Jr.
URL:
http://www.nickjr.com/games/all-shows/letters-spelling-games/all-ages/index.jhtml?p=10&q=9
Game: Swiper's Spelling Book Game
Level: Primary (K-3)
Summary of the Website: Nick Jr. is a fantastic website for kids. It features games from all their favorite television shows so they are playing and learning with familiar characters. The website is fun and interactive and brightly colored.
Summary of the Game: In this game, Dora the Explorer is reading a book. On the left page is a picture and on the right is a word. She reads the word and then spells it. Then, Swiper comes and swipes all the letters from the page! The child must find the letters from the top of the page and spell the word correctly (the letters do not need to be in order, however). When the student spells it correctly, the page turns and they come across a new word and the same thing happens again.
Evaluation of the Game: This game is fun and educational. The child will learn how to spell words and recognize letters. It is also encouraging because the child never gets penalized for clicking the wrong letter, they simply try again until it is spelled correctly.
Color: The colors are very fun and typical of Dora's show. Everything looks familiar when compared to the television show and it is inviting to children to come play and get excited.
Repetition: The whole game is repetitive because the child is spelling words in the same fashion.
Talking Text: Dora does read the words to the child and reads the letters when she spells it out loud.
Visual Cues: The game does not have visual cues but does not need it because when the child completes a word the page is automatically turned.
Mistakes: When the child makes a mistake, Dora simply tells them to try again.
Rating: N/A
Highlighted Cues: See "visual cues"
Navigation Routine: The student must use the mouse to click the appropriate letters in order to spell the word.
Click back and back: N/A
Click and Drag: N/A
Click forward: N/A
Teacher Rating: 9